Symposium
Humanities Symposium "Says Who?"
When Francis Bacon famously said, "knowledge is power" he suggested that individuals or societies with greater knowledge have the capacity to solve problems and to innovate, to dominate or to influence others.
Authority is the legitimate right to exercise power. It is tied to consent. But who gets to consent? When we comply with authority, we legitimize the people or institutions who hold that authority over us because we believe them. Do we, however, believe them? And who’s ‘we’ anyway? Who consented or didn’t consent?
Systems of power such as governments, institutions, and societal norms create and define what is considered "truth" or valid knowledge. Or, to give another example, accepted knowledge strengthens the authority of those in power and justifies their actions or policies. We can see this in disciplines such as science, education, and law, where power dictates what is studied, taught, and enforced, creating feedback loops of influence.
All presentations, unless otherwise indicated, are in the Auditorium.
Monday Feb 3
10:00-11:30 Heidi Grasswick
Oppression and the Authority of Science
(Zoom presentation in the auditorium)
To speak of the authority of science is to name science as a legitimate form of knowledge, acknowledging that we ought to develop our beliefs, policies, and practices in accordance with current scientific claims about the world. From the authority of science it follows that when science claims something to be true, we have strong reason to believe that claim. The story of the degree to which scientific practices currently enjoy such authority is of course complicated—differing across cultures, sub-cultures, social groups, and the subject matter under discussion. In this presentation, Grasswick focuses on the ways in which the existence and histories of social oppression threaten the potential authority of scientific institutions and their practices. Using the resources of feminist philosophers of science, she draws attention to the social nature of the practices of science, demonstrating multiple ways in which broader social oppression can and has infiltrated these practices. When that happens, the trustworthiness of scientific research and its resultant policies can be undermined. Ultimately, oppression itself must be fought against both in and out of science if we hope to be able to safely grant science the kind of authority it has sought.
11:30-1:00 Jonathan Matheson and Timothy Budde
Why It’s Ok Not to Think for Yourself
In his recent book Why it's OK not to Think for Yourself, Jonathan Matheson argues that there is nothing wrong with failing to do your own research and instead deferring to others. This conversation between Dr. Matheson and Dr. Budde will explore the central issues raised in the book and explore some of the broader ramifications of the view.
2:30-4:00 Kathleen Gosselin
A Panel Discussion: Disability and Poverty
This panel explores the complex intersection of disability and poverty, highlighting the barriers and limitations they face. We will delve into systemic issues that are part of social assistance systems. Through discussions of lived experiences, we can build understanding and empathy breaking through the stigma of receiving assistance. The panelists will include Vanier College student Kathleen Gosselin (Vanier student, Special Education Techniques), Vanier teacher Francine Cytrynbaum (Special Education Techniques), Paul Tshuma (disability advocate, poet/musician and wheelchair user) and a representative from the Welfare Rights Committee.
Tuesday Feb 4
12-1:30 Joliane Allaire
Workshop: Embodied Exploration of Authority and Power
In the Theatre (B-325)
***Please note: there is limited seating for this workshop which will take place in the Theatre room—B325. Confirm your reservation with Lili Petrovic (petrovil@vaniercollege.qc.ca)
Joliane will lead an introductory theatrical workshop that explores the application of games and movement as pedagogical tools. This practical approach aims to extend our understanding of abstract concepts, such as authority, in a more engaging and experiential way. The workshop will feature various activities, allowing us to experiment with power in physical, artistic, and intuitive ways.
Wednesday Feb 5
1:30-3:00 KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Mark Kingwell
Question Authority
“Question authority,” the popular 1960s slogan commanded. “Think for yourself.” But what started as a counter-cultural catchphrase, playful in logic but serious in intent, has become a practical paradox. The resulting crisis of authority, made worse by rival political factions and chaotic public discourse, has exposed cracks in every facet of shared social life. In this critical survey of the predicament of contemporary authority, Mark Kingwell draws on philosophical argument, personal reflection, and details from the headlines in an attempt to reclaim the democratic spirit of questioning authority and thinking for oneself.
Thursday Feb 6
10:00-11:30 KC Adams
Asiiniwag: Revival of Indigenous Pottery from Aestheticized Object to Relational Creation
KC will share her journey of rediscovering and reimagining the making and cooking of Indigenous pottery, a tradition rooted in the ancient Lake Agassiz region. She will discuss how these pots were not just utilitarian objects but spiritually animated and imbued with Indigenous epistemologies and pedagogies, offering insight into the concept of “relational making.”
11:30-1:00 Mark Carnes
The Glass Bead Game, 2025: An Adventure in AI
The audience will become players in a game, conceived but never explained by the German novelist, Herman Hesse. The task: to plumb the depths of All Knowledge to answer a great philosophical question, to be chosen by the audience. For the inquiry, Carnes will serve as Magister Ludi--Gamemaster. A key element, a foundational element, in Hesse's Glass Bead Game, was music, whose connections to mathematics were explicit. Using a piano, he will demonstrate some fundamental connections between Mozart, and Taylor Swift, and mathematics.
4:00-5:30 Ashley Vu
Media and Knowledge
Ashley Vu, a student at McGill University and a Junior Analyst at the Media Ecosystem Observatory (MEO), will explore the critical role that media plays in shaping public knowledge and discourse, particularly in the digital age. Drawing on her work at MEO, she will discuss how tools like the “seedlist” help track social media trends and uncover how information spreads online, shedding light on issues of election integrity and misinformation. This presentation will deepen understandings of how knowledge is created, manipulated, and shared through the media.
Friday Feb 7
10:00-11:30 Jana Bacevic
(Zoom presentation in the auditorium) What does it mean to think for ourselves? Epistemic Autonomy, Solidarity, and Democracy
We are often told to "think for ourselves" or "do our own research". Western liberal democracies predicate political on the idea of epistemic autonomy; that is, citizens in a liberal democracy should be able to make up their own minds, and to act in line with that. How does this challenge stand in contemporary, late- or post-liberal regimes? Critics left and right have emphasised the role of social media in distorting people's access to information, and mutual accusations of 'cancellation', 'censorship', or 'echo chambers' abound. Yet, are there reasons other than (just) being misled or uninformed for trusting other people's assessments of a situation? This talk approaches the thorny question of how we judge others' knowledge — whether by criteria internal or external to the epistemic community in question — and what this tells us about the ability to think for ourselves and, concomitantly, think with others.
1:00-2:30 Janet Foyle and Lili Petrovic
Peering in from the Outside: A Look at Authority and Power in the Context of Deprivation of Liberty
For this presentation, Lili Petrovic will be engaging Janet Foyle, an international lawyer with many years of experience working with different international organisations in a conversation about what goes in inside prison walls. They will open up questions about what happens in the case where persons deprived of their liberty are vulnerable to unrestrained authority and power due to their lack of agency. We will compare European and Canadian approaches to regulating that which goes on behind closed doors and far from the sight of everyday citizens.